The NAACP presented the fourteen surviving workers of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike with the Vanguard Award on Monday night at the Image Awards.

It's an “honor presented in recognition of the groundbreaking work that has increased understanding and awareness of racial and social issues.” Previous honorees include Tyler Perry, Aretha Franklin, Stanley Kramer, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Retired AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer, William “Bill” Lucy, will be presented with the NAACP Chairman's Award for his leadership while organizing the workers in 1968.

“We are humbled and honored that the NAACP has chosen to honor the Memphis workers as well as Bill Lucy,” said Lee Saunders, President of AFSCME. “Imagine the courage it took for African-American municipal employees in the Jim Crow South to defy the local power structure and go on strike – not just for a living wage, and not just for decent working conditions. These brave men were striking to demand dignity and respect; to demand racial justice and economic justice.”

“As we approach the 50th anniversary of these history-making events, we need to tell the story of Memphis again,” Saunders added. “I AM 2018 is about drawing inspiration from the heroes of Memphis, but it isn’t just a reflection on the past. It’s an urgent call to fight poverty and prejudice, an urgent call to advance the freedom of all working people and to remind America of the inextricable link between racial justice and economic justice.”

Congrats to the workers for this well-deserved honor!